Allergic reaction
by New Warrior of Fire
Summary: Boukenger. The Rangers find out the real reason Masumi never eats his peas. Pairing:MasumiNatsuki COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Allergic Reaction**

It was a peaceful evening in the Boukenger base. The Rangers were enjoying a relaxing dinner, the main course of which was, as usual, tuna pea salad. Everyone was eating, except Masumi, who would not eat his food until he had picked all of the peas out. Eiji was sitting opposite Masumi, watching him carry out his pea-picking ritual. The very sight of it was appalling to him.

_Look at him over there,_ Eiji thought. _It's disgusting. How could anyone not like peas, or any other vegetable? _He shook his head.

At that moment, by chance, Masumi happened to look up from his food, only to see Eiji staring at him and looking disgusted.

"What are you looking at?" Masumi asked.

Eiji shook his head again. "You're too picky, Masumi. Everyone needs vegetables, including you. You should eat your peas."

"How is that any of your business?" Masumi scoffed. " Do I tell you what to eat?"

"Of course not. You have no room to criticize me on what I should and shouldn't eat, my eating habits are immaculate. You, on the other hand, you don't eat right."

Masumi's expression darkened. "Who are you to tell me I'm right or wrong? Why do you care what I eat? Just mind your own business!"

Eiji said, "Maybe if you ate right you wouldn't be this cranky."

Masumi stood up. "I'm cranky?! You're the one getting pissed off at me just because I don't eat what you think I should!"

Eiji stood up as well. "Who's pissed off?!" He shouted.

Finally Akashi stood up and said, "Enough. Masumi, you need to calm down. Eiji, Masumi is right. You shouldn't tell him what to eat."

Masumi gave Eiji a dirty look, then sat back down and went back to picking the peas out of his food.

Eiji glared at Akashi. "It's true! If he doesn't eat right, it's us who has to deal with his poor performance in battle."

"What?" Masumi asked sharply.

"Eiji, sit down." Akashi said.

"No! If he had any sense, he'd listen to me. Why is it that nobody heeds my wisdom?" And with that, Eiji stalked off.

Masumi scoffed. "Eiji, that punk. And he says I'm cranky."

Akashi sighed. "Masumi, I think that you should go talk to Eiji."

"Why?" Masumi asked, disgusted. "He doesn't care for anything I have to say."

"You two need to work this out between yourselves."

Masumi rolled his eyes.

"Go talk to Eiji! Attack!" Akashi snapped his fingers.

"I guess I don't have a choice." Masumi said in a resigned voice. He got up and headed in the direction where Eiji had gone.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Eiji was grumbling to himself. "Stupid Masumi." He muttered. "Who is he to criticize me criticizing him? After all, nobody knows more about nutrition than _me_. I wonder what my action figures will have to say about this one!" Eiji walked into his room and got four small boxes from the top of his closet. He went out into the hall and parked himself. Then he opened them up, one by one, and extracted their contents. In each box was a Boukenger action figure, one black, one yellow, one pink and one silver. He picked up the black one and started acting out a scene.

"Look at me! I'm Masumi and I don't eat right!" He made the action figure say in a mocking voice. "And I don't take criticism well!"

He picked up the yellow one. "Hey, Natsuki, will you go out with me?" Black asked.

"Hmmmmm." Yellow said. "I don't think so. I'd rather go out with . . ." He quickly picked up the silver one. "Ei-chan!"

Meanwhile, the real Masumi was walking down the hall, ready to talk to Eiji. Then he saw him, camped out in the middle of the hall, playing with action figures.

_What the hell is he doing_? Masumi wondered. He snuck up behind him and looked over his shoulder, only to discover that the action figures Eiji was playing with were Boukengers. He waited, wondering to see how this would play out.

Eiji made the yellow and pink action figures walk over to the silver one. "Oh, Eiji, you're sooo manly and good-looking, nothing like Masumi." Said the pink one.

"And a much better example." Yellow said.

"That's right, ladies." The silver one said in an exaggeratedly manly voice. "That's because I eat all of my vegetables. Because if you don't eat right, you could end up like this!" He held up the black one. "Scrawny body, noodle arms, and crooked teeth! This is the living epidemy of zinc deficiency!"

Masumi could take no more. He sucked in a gallon of air. "EIJI!" He exploded.

Eiji jumped to his feet and spun around to face Masumi. "Masumi! What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"You silver bastard!" Masumi grabbed Eiji by the collar of his SGS jacket. "I don't have crooked teeth! Who has crooked teeth?!"

Eiji grabbed Masumi by the collar in return. "Why don't you go look in the mirror and tell me, you black asshole!"

Back at the table, the other Boukengers were finishing their dinner.

"Well, it sounds quiet back there. I guess Black and Silver really did work this one out." Sakura said.

Souta smiled. "I guess you never know with those guys."

"It looks like Mission Complete." Akashi said happily.

At that moment, the Boukengers heard someone scream, loud enough for the whole SGS Museum to hear:

"DON'T YOU **EVER **CALL ME BY A COLOR!!"

The four Boukengers ran to the scene, only to find Eiji and Masumi, both latched on to the other one's collar, and showing no signs of letting go.

"Some man you are!" Masumi growled. "What kind of a man play with dolls?"

"They're action figures, you scrawny, malnourished, ignorant, insolent . . .!"

"ENOUGH!" Akashi thundered.

Masumi and Eiji looked up, still holding on to each other's collars.

"Stop fighting. We will go back to the table, and I don't want to hear another word about this."

Masumi and Eiji still didn't move.

"Attack!" Akashi said with a snap on his fingers. Instantly, all of the Boukengers followed him back to the dining area. After that, Eiji and Masumi avoided each other for the remainder of the evening.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	2. Chapter 2

Things weren't much better the following morning. Masumi and Eiji still wouldn't even look at each other.

"This is bad." Sakura said. "Chief, Black and Silver still won't talk. What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry about them." Akashi said. "They'll work it out in their own time." Then he turned to the others and said, "Listen up, everyone. The museum is unusually full today, so four of us are going to take museum duty. Who's volunteering?"

"I will." Masumi said.

"Me too." Said Souta.

Sakura said, "Chief, I'll go."

"Alright. I'm going too." Akashi said. "Attack!" And with that, they were off, leaving Natsuki and Eiji to themselves.

Eiji read for a few minutes, but he soon got bored and hungry. So he went into the kitchen to find something to eat, only to find Natsuki making something.

"What are you making?" He asked her.

Natsuki looked up. "Popsicles. They're Natsuki's speciality."

He looked at Natsuki's mixture. "What flavor?" He asked.

"Lime. Masumi's favorite. He's been so stressed out lately I thought it would be good for him to have something to enjoy."

"Oh." Eiji said. He opened the refrigerator and started digging. It wasn't long before he unearthed a small glass jar of green liquid.

"What's that?" Natsuki asked.

"This is liquid essence of peas. I've been experimenting with juicing." Eiji smiled. It was his pride and joy, definitely something stupid Masumi couldn't appreciate. All he wanted was his stupid, sugary popsicles. He saw that the lime popsicle mix was the exact same color as his pea extract juice. That gave him an idea. _Well,_ he thought,_ if I can't convince Masumi to eat peas of his own free will, I'll have to resort to tactics. It will be good for him, good for the team, _he reasoned. He screwed the lid off his pea extract juice jar.

"Hey, Natsuki, could you bring me my book?" He asked. "I left it on the couch over there."

"Sure." Natsuki said. She walked over to the couch.

_Now's my chance_! Eiji poured all of his pea extract juice into Natsuki's popsicle mixture. He quickly hid the empty jar behind his back as Natsuki reappeared.

"Here you go." She said, smiling.

"Thanks." He took the book from her with one hand, and continued to hide the jar behind his back with the others.

"Hmmm. That's odd." Natsuki said.

"What is it?" Eiji asked.

"There's more popsicle mix than usual."

Eiji froze. _Oh, no! She noticed!_

"I wonder why." Natsuki said. She looked at Eiji thoughtfully, almost suspiciously. He could feel himself withering under her pondering gaze.

Natsuki suddenly broke out into a huge smile. "Oh well! I'll just make a double batch! Then everyone can have two popsicles!"

A cool tide of relief washed over Eiji. She didn't suspect a thing, in fact, Natsuki seemed as happy as ever, all smiling and ending every sentence with an exclamation point. He drew in a shaky breath.

"I'm going for a walk." He said.

"Okay. Bye!" Natsuki said. She poured her popsicle mix into a large mold, then put them in the freezer. Just as Eiji was leaving, Masumi appeared.

"Oh, Masumi. You're back so soon?"

He nodded. "The museum rush died down, so Akashi said I could have the rest of the afternoon off."

"Alright. I'm going to meet up with the others." Natsuki said. And she was off.

Masumi sighed happily. After a long morning's work, he had the base all to himself. He stretched out on the couch. Masumi decided it was nap time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Masumi woke with a start. He looked out the window. The sun was setting! _How long was I asleep?_ Masumi wondered. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was seventeen hundred hours. And he'd come up around eleven, so that was . . . Six hours! How could that be? And he was still alone in the base. He figured the others had probably gone out for lunch, then gone shopping or something. Anyway, they should be home for dinner, he reasoned. Masumi realized that he hadn't eaten anything for six hours, and he was _really_ hungry. He went over to the fridge to scavenge. It became apparent to Masumi that they were really low on groceries. He hoped the others had gone shopping. He looked in the freezer, and there he found his all-time favorite food, Natsuki's lime pops! Natsuki was well aware that he loved lime popsicles, Masumi knew. He smiled as he extracted the popsicles from the freezer. It warmed his heart to think that Natsuki had made these just for him.

"Thank you, Natsuki." Masumi said out loud. He took one of the popsicles out of the mold and took a bite. It was perfect, cold and tangy, and just a little slushy, exactly the way he liked it. He ate the rest of the popsicle in one bite. Masumi wondered if he should eat another one. Well, there are eleven left, he reasoned. This time, Masumi took five. He shoved them all into his mouth at once and let the lime goodness ooze onto his tongue as they slowly melted. _Oh, rapture!_ Masumi thought. Suddenly, he heard the elevator coming.

_Oh, shit!_ He thought. He didn't want any of the other Boukengers to see him. But it was too late. The elevator opened and as soon as everyone got out, they saw Masumi, hunched over the table, with five popsicles in his mouth.

Akashi was the first to speak. "Masumi, what are you doing?" He asked, stifling a laugh.

"I . . . uh . . ." Masumi quickly swallowed the frozen, lime-flavored mass in his mouth and said, "I was just having a snack."

Natsuki walked over to Masumi and picked up her empty popsicle tray. "Masumi, you pig!" She said. "You ate six popsicles?!"

Eiji dropped his jaw. Masumi ate _six _of the pea juice laden popsicles? A diabolical grin spread over his face. His plan had worked out perfectly.

Masumi gave her a longing look. "They were just so good . . . Natsuki, I can never eat just one of your popsicles."

"Awww." Natsuki said, smiling. "Well, Natsuki is glad you enjoyed them. And, there's still enough for everyone to have one."

A collective "Alright!" Came from the Boukengers. Everyone took a popsicle, and Masumi took his seventh.

Eiji's already-huge grin widened even more. Seven popsicles in the hole. This was the best day of his life. Now only one thing left to do.

"Hey, Masumi." He said. "No hard feelings, right?"

Hm? Masumi looked at the dazzling adventurer skeptically. _What is he up to?_ He wondered. Masumi shrugged it off. He was in a good mood, so he figured, what the heck.

"No hard feelings." He smiled at Eiji.

Eiji grinned back broadly. _Perfect_, he thought.

Natsuki smiled. The whole reason she'd made the popsicles was to ease the tension they'd been having lately. _Well_, she thought, _Natsuki's plan worked_.

Maybe not the way she intended . . .


	3. Chapter 3

THE NEXT DAY . . .

Another new day awakened at S.G.S. headquarters. Everyone was just arriving, pouring coffee, doing their usual morning routine. Everyone, that is, except Masumi.

"Where's Masumi?" Natsuki asked. "He's never late."

"No one knows." Sakura replied. "He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."

"Maybe he's having a popsicle hangover." Souta suggested.

Akashi gave him a thoughtful look. "Everyone," He said. "It's entirely possible that something happened to Black. If he's not here soon, then we'll . . ."

Akashi was cut off by the sound of the elevator arriving on their floor. Sure enough, it was Masumi. But something was obviously wrong. Masumi was a complete mess! His hair, usually shiny and black, looked dull. His shoulders were slumped, his feet dragged, and he had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. Everyone stared at him as he dragged himself to the small row of chairs against the wall and slumped into the nearest seat.

Natsuki went over to him. "Masumi, what happened?" She asked. "Are you okay."

"I don't know." Masumi said. "I think I'm coming down with something."

Akashi said, "Masumi, I'm relieving you of duty for the day. You need to-" Akashi stopped when he saw Masumi furiously rubbing his hands together. "Masumi, what are you doing?"

Masumi rubbed his hands even harder. "It itches!" He said.

"Let me see." Natsuki said. She took Masumi's hands and inspected them. They were covered in a bright red, splotchy, bumpy rash.

"How did this happen?" Masumi cried out in frustration.

Eiji sighed. "You see, Masumi, this is exactly the kind of thing that happens when you don't eat right. You need vegetables to stay healthy. I eat all of my vegetables, and I almost never get sick. Hopefully those peas I snuck into your food will help."

Masumi's eyes widened. He slowly turned to Eiji. "You . . . you did WHAT?!"

"I put liquid essence of peas in those juice pops you liked so much. After all you ate seven of them, and I bet you couldn't taste the peas at all. Maybe someday you'll thank me."

Masumi looked down at his hands, then at the floor. His face turned white and his breathing became labored.

"Black? Are you okay?" Sakura asked.

He didn't answer. Masumi ran away as fast as his speed-adventure seasoned legs could carry him, down the hall, toward the bathroom. The wretched sounds that followed were that of utter intestinal torment.

The other Boukengers exchanged worried glances. Never one to let the obvious go unstated, Natsuki said, "I think he's throwing up."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	4. Chapter 4

When Masumi was finished vomiting, about twenty minutes later, he came back into the main area of the base. He wearily flopped back into his seat, then gave Eiji a murderous glare.

"You silver bastard! The reason I don't eat your stupid peas is because I'm allergic!"

"What?!" Eiji cried. He'd knew that he'd really messed up, and he hated the feeling. "But . . .why didn't you say anything?!"

Masumi gritted his teeth. "I knew you had it out for me. I didn't tell you because I thought you might do something stupid with that information."

"What do you mean 'something stupid'?" he demanded.

"Like sneak pea death into my food!"

"Well that's pretty damn ironic!" Eiji shouted.

"Enough." Akashi said calmly. "Eiji, this is a serious offence. At the very least, you'll be taking on Black's duties until he's functional. Souta, Sakura, you have museum duty this morning. I will take Eiji to Makino-sensei and have a serious talk about this. Natsuki, I want you to stay with Masumi. Attack!" And with a snap of his fingers, all of the Boukengers moved on to their assigned tasks.

As the others were leaving, Natsuki said, "You should lay down, Masumi. I'll get you a pillow and a blanket." Masumi moaned and started looking pale again.

Natsuki's face took on an expression of grim recognition. "Oh, and uh . . . probably a bucket, too." She dashed off and returned promptly with a yellow quilt and matching pillow, and a five- gallon bucket.

Natsuki tenderly spread the blanket over Masumi. He looked at the blanket more closely, as if he recognized it. "Is that the blanket from your bed?" He asked.

She nodded. "The pillow, too. Natsuki wants Masumi to be comfortable."

Masumi was amazed that she was willing to risk getting vomit on her bedding just to make sure he was comfortable. That was really nice of her. Masumi looked up at Natsuki and smiled his thanks.

Natsuki smiled back at him. She hadn't seen him smile like that in way too long. Even before his drawn-out fight with Eiji, he'd seemed kind of distant lately, sort of wistful. Like he was longing for something . . .

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Masumi's smiling face contort weirdly, taking on a pained expression, and once again grow deathly pale.

"Masumi?" She asked.

His response was one of emptying the contents of his stomach into the bucket.

Natsuki stepped around to his back side and held his hair out of his face whilst he wretched, which seemed to last a long time. Finally, when he was done, he flopped back onto the makeshift bed. "You didn't have to do that." He said wearily.

Natsuki whimpered. She hated to see her longtime friend in so much pain. "Masumi," she said sadly. She came back around to his front side and gently wrapped her arms around him. "I just want you to feel better."

Masumi, in turn, put his arms around her and leaned into the embrace, putting all of what little energy he had into it. He buried his face into her neck and inhaled deeply. Her sweet scent made him forget the pain of his wasting illness, even if only for a moment. Instead, his heart ached, an older, more familiar pain; one of longing.

After several minutes, Natsuki felt Masumi begin to go limp in her arms. She winced, realizing he had that little stamina. Natsuki tenderly laid him back down and pulled the covers up over his shoulders.

"Masumi," she said. "You've lost too many fluids today. We should do something about that."

"What do you have in mind?" Masumi asked without looking up.

"You'll see." Natsuki went over to the kitchen area and started making him something. Masumi was now painfully aware that he was actually expected to eat something. It made him nauseous just thinking about it. Masumi didn't think he could eat anything. Just as he was about to tell her that he really didn't feel like eating, Natsuki returned with a bowl of something. She lowered it so Masumi could see into the bowl. Froot loops. Now Masumi really felt like throwing up again.

"Natsuki, I don't want anything to eat right now." Masumi whined. He pulled the covers over his head.

Natsuki pouted at him. "Masumi, you need to eat," she insisted.

Masumi came out from under the covers long enough to ask, "Why Froot Loops?"

"Because they look so happy!" Natsuki put the bowl right under his nose. "It's a colorful bowl full of happy little loops!"

Masumi once again looked into the bowl of nauseating gut-bomb fodder. "I don't have the strength to eat," he said. He figured saying that would get him out of it.

Natsuki looked at the Froot Loops thoughtfully. "Well . . . what if I fed them to you?"

"Eh?" Masumi was surprised by the offer. He liked the idea of Natsuki feeding him, but he really didn't feel like eating. Masumi looked at the Froot Loops again, then to Natsuki's pleading face.

"Well . . . I guess." Masumi relented.

"Great! Open wide!" Natsuki said. She readied the first spoonful.

Masumi opened his mouth much wider than was necessary. Natsuki giggled, then put the spoon-full of cereal into his mouth. Masumi soon found that he liked having Natsuki feed him. He smiled at her, and milk dribbled down his chin.

Natsuki couldn't help but giggle. She really got a kick out of feeding her usually badass, in-charge comrade. He looked so silly with milk running down his face. It was kind of cute, in a way.

With each successive bite, Masumi's smile diminished, and he looked more and more pained. He could feel each wretched, dyed hoop of sugar incrementally increase the turbulence in his digestive tract. Finally, he could take no more.

"Natsuki," he said. "That's enough for now."

"Okay. You can finish it later." Natsuki said. She took his bowl over to the sink. "There. Don't you feel better now that you've eaten something?" she called from the kitchen.

Masumi didn't respond. Instead what she heard was a horrible, labored retching, followed by the sounds of approximately six ounces of semi-digested Froot Loops splatter into a bucket.

"Masumi!" Natsuki cried. She ran over as fast as she could, and arrived just as he finished vomiting.

"Oh, Masumi, I'm sorry," Natsuki said. She should have just listened to him.

Masumi, too exhausted and pained to answer, sank back into the makeshift bed and closed his eyes.

Natsuki decided that he probably just needed to rest. She picked up the bucket and headed to the bathroom to empty it. She turned on the light, put the bucket in the bathtub and ran the water into it at full blast. When it was full, she dumped it out into the bathtub, but not everything went down the drain. Remaining in the bathtub were whole Froot Loops, soggy with bile.

Natsuki was disturbed by the sight. She thought about how she'd convinced Masumi to eat them in the first place, telling him they were a bowl of happy little loops.

_They don't look so happy the second time around_, she thought.

At that moment, she heard someone walk in. It was Eiji.

"Hey, Natsuki," he said. He didn't sound too happy. She wasen't surprised, after the chewing out Makino-sensei and Akashi had presumably given him.

"Hi, Ei-chan," she replied. "What are you doing up here?"

Eiji sighed. "I'm here to ask Mr. Voice what duties I have today since I have to do all of Masumi's tasks." He looked into the bathtub. "Hey, Natsuki, how did all those Froot Loops get in there? Where did they come from?"

Natsuki frowned at that mention. "Masumi's stomach," she said sadly.

Eiji took another look at the multicolored breakfeast cereal that was saturated in Masumi's bodily fluids. From the dazzling adventurer came a strangled cry, followed by him running out of the bathroom. Never in all his life had he bourne witness to a more revolting sight. He would never, ever eat Froot Loops again.

Eiji did feel kind of bad for what he'd done. Masumi was totally misrable, and that wasn't what he'd wanted. He was only trying to help the team, and besides, he wouldn't have done it if Masumi had just told him in the first place. Masumi was too untrusting, he figured. _Then again,_ he thought,_ I haven't really given him reason to trust me, espically after this. _

He sighed and moved on to the main area of the base, where he would ask Mr. Voice about Masumi's jobs. Of course, Masumi was using the row of chairs that were directly below Mr. Voice's screen for his makeshift bed. When Eiji saw him laying there, he felt a pang of guilt for the pain he'd caused. At least Masumi was asleep for the moment, he noted. He wasen't ready to deal with Masumi's wrath yet.

As soon as Eiji had come directly in front of the screen, Mr. Voice appeared. "Ah, Silver-kun," he said.

The sound of Mr. Voice's voice woke Masumi up. He could faint hear Mr. Voice talking, from seemingly a long ways away. He was saying something like, ' . . . what you did to Black-kun . . .'

_Who?_ Masumi wondered. He opened his eyes a little wider and saw Eiji standing in front of him. But it wasen't Eiji for long. In Masumi's fevered mind, he thought he saw Eiji's form morph into that of Yami no Yaiba.

_Yaiba! _Masumi frantically grabbed for his Survi Blaster, but he couldn't find it. It was supposed to be in his holster, on his leg, but of course he couldn't get it because he wasen't really morphed. Still, he ran his hands over and over his leg where his holster was supposed to be, in case it rematerealizied. Soon, Eiji left the base with his orders.

_Why is he leaving?_ Masumi thought. At that moment Natsuki reappeared. She noticed that Masumi looked distressed.

"Masumi? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Natsuki," he said ugrently. "Where's my Survi Blaster?"

Natsuki sighed gravly. Masumi was worse than she'd thought.

"It's okay," she told him. "You just need some sleep."

"But Yaiba . . ." Masumi's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he lost conciousness.

"Oh," Natsuki whimpered softly. He really wasen't doing well. _I hope he gets better soon, she thought_. Although now Natsuki knew there really wasen't much she could do. She pulled up a chair and watched as he slept.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That evening, Masumi was still asleep and Natsuki was still at his side. Everyone except Akashi had gone home for the day.

"Natsuki," Akashi said. "You can go home now."

She looked up at him sadly. "Natsuki doesen't want to go yet."

Akashi walked over to her and set a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You've done a good job with Masumi today. But he'll be fine for the night. You need some sleep."

"Then I'll sleep in the base tonight," Natsuki said. "I want to be with Masumi."

Akashi sighed. "Okay," he relented. He gathered his things and headed for the door. "Good night," he called over his shoulder.

"Good night," she replied.

After Akashi left, Natsuki turned her attention back to Masumi. He looked really cute when he was asleep, she noted. So peaceful. She could watch him sleep forever.

Suddenly, Masumi's face twisted, and he began sweating heavily. His breathing became rapid and labored.

Natsuki reached out and stroked his face. Masumi was hot to the touch; he probably had a high fever. She took Masumi's hand and intwined her fingers with his.

_It's okay, Masum_i, she thought. _I'm here. I won't leave you_.

Masumi relaxed, and his breathing evened out. It was as if he'd heard her thoughts. She wondered if he had. Natsuki didn't have enough control of her powers to use them on demand, however, maybe she'd channeled her thoughts to him unintentionally. She looked upon the face of her illness-stricken freind, determined to do anything she could for him. Natsuki laid her head on his chest, and her eyes slowly drifted closed.

_I'll just rest for a moment,_ she thought. _Just one . . . _

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Masumi' eyes drifted open, and his senses awakened to the new day. He was surprised to find himself in the base, laying on the row of three chairs that were under Mr. Voice's screen. What am I doing here? he wondered. Then he remembered. Yesterday's throwing-up-peas-and-Froot-Loops experience, as he called it. _Definitely not one of the more pleasant experiences of my life. Although, I did get to spend the day alone with Natsuki_, he reflected. Masumi tried to sit up, only to find that something was pushing him down. He let out a breath of frustration, which lasted only a moment; he found that on his chest was the angelic sleeping head of his Lemurian princess.

Masumi was surprised for just a moment, then he felt his love for Natsuki surge, and his heart melted under the fire of his passion as he gave in to the feeling. He lifted his hand to stroke her silken black pigtails, only to discover that his hand was clasped with hers, and her fingers entwined with his.

"Natsuki," Masumi said breathlessly. She'd fallen asleep whilst holding his hand; he never knew such joy existed. It gave him hope; maybe . . . maybe she felt the same way about him as he felt about her.

It very suddenly occurred to Masumi that he hadn't gone to the bathroom since yesterday. He sighed, not wanting to leave Natsuki. _Damn it!_ he thought._ Why is it that whenever I have a moment with Natsuki my body has to do something gross_? Masumi carefully slid out from under Natsuki, then put his feet on the floor and stood up. He was surprised to find that he had considerably more strength than yesterday. He then gazed longingly upon he and Natsuki's joined hands, not wanting to let go.

_Someday, he thought, you'll know the truth, Natsuki_. He gently placed a kiss on her delicate sleeping face, then let go of her hand. As he was walking away, he looked to Natsuki one more time.

_I promise_. And with that, he left.

A few minutes later, Natsuki woke up to find herself laying on the couch. She was dismayed to find that Masumi was gone. "Masumi?" she called. _Oh no_, she thought. _Masumi's gone!_ Then Natsuki heard a voice behind her.

"Morning." It was Masumi, who was leaning against the wall a few feet away. By the looks of it, he had just come down the hall, presumably from the bathroom, Natsuki noted.

"Oh, Masumi. Good morning," she returned. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Pretty good," he said. Masumi found that for standing up even for just a few minutes, his newfound strength was failing. Natsuki noticed, too, and she walked over to him and helped him back onto his makeshift bed.

"Natsuki, could you get me some water?" he asked.

"Of course." Natsuki headed to the kitchen. She made sure to put his water in his special black coffee mug. It was his favorite, she knew. Natsuki came back to the main area of the base, water in hand.

"Here you go, Masumi," Natsuki said as she handed the mug.

"Thanks," he said weakly.

Natsuki watched anxiously as Masumi brought the mug to his lips. Unfortunately, he was still weak and shaky, and before he could even taste any water, he dropped the mug and its contents spilled onto his S.G.S. jacket, soaking him to the skin.

"Oh, Masumi!" Natsuki said. She quickly took the mug from him and set it aside.

"It's cold!" Masumi cried. Natsuki winced at the sight; he already had a high fever, and she didn't want him to chill. She reached out and unzipped his jacket, then stepped behind him and carefully peeled the jacket off.

Masumi was stunned into silence. He quietly complied, and let Natsuki take his jacket off for him whilst he savored her gentle touch.

Natsuki set the wet jacket aside, then turned back to Masumi. What she saw saddened her. Masumi was pale and shivering, and his exposed arms looked thinner that usual from his one day of having not eaten. His shoulders were covered in the same ugly rash he had all over his hands. _Poor Masumi_, she thought. _No wonder he's so cold. His shirt's all wet, too_.

"All right, Masumi," she said. "I'm taking off your shirt, too."

_Is she serious_? Masumi wondered. He sat motionless and looked at her blankly, wondering if she was really going to do it.

"Masumi, lift your arms," she said, a little more firmly this time.

Masumi lifted his arms, and Natsuki pulled his shirt off. He watched as she put his shirt with his jacket with a vague sense of unreality. He had mixed feelings about Natsuki undressing him like that. On the one hand, it was kind of weird, especially since she'd never before seen his bare chest, but he loved the feel of her soft, warm hands on his bare flesh.

Natsuki was alarmed to discover that Masumi's chest was all rashed, too. "Wait here, Masumi," she said. And with that, she was off.

He watched her leave, wondering where she was going, and to do what. Then he realized that he was completely shirtless, and he felt a shiver go through him. Masumi wrapped Natsuki's blanket around himself and hoped she wouldn't be gone long.

She wasn't. In fact, Natsuki returned almost immediately with an unfamiliar tube of something.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Natsuki's jasmine body lotion. It'll be good for your rash."

Masumi's face reddened at the phrase 'your rash.' He prayed that none of the others would ever, ever hear of this.

Natsuki stuck the tube under his nose. "Here, smell it," she said.

That was definitely one of the weirder things he'd heard her say. Then again, it_ was _Natsuki. He obliged her and took a whiff of the lotion. Masumi recognized the scent immediately, and found it to be intoxicating, as he could always smell it on Natsuki. Masumi took the tube from her.

"Thanks, Natsuki," he said.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm using your lotion."

Natsuki giggled. "That's not what I meant, Masumi," she said, taking the lotion back from him. "Natsuki will put the lotion on you."

Masumi was about to protest having everything done for him, but then he had second thoughts. Natsuki was offering him more of her sweet, gentle touch that he craved. He couldn't pass it up.

Masumi sighed. "Okay, Natsuki. Go ahead." He took off Natsuki's blanket and leaned forward, thus exposing his entire back.

Natsuki took the tube and squeezed a large amount of it into her hand. She then, very slowly and gently, so as not to agitate Masumi's rash, massaged it into his back.

"Oh, Natsuki. That feels so good," Masumi said. He wished her soft, lovely hands would never leave his skin.

Eventually, Natsuki had lotioned not only Masumi's entire back but his entire chest as well. "Okay, Masumi. You're done." She covered him back up and took her lotion back to her room, where she kept it.

Masumi waited until she was gone, then contorted himself in a way that would allow him to sniff his own back. He couldn't get enough of that lotion, and he sure got a kick out of the fact that he now smelled just like Natsuki. He could sniff himself all day and never tire of it. Masumi just hoped that, once again, none of the other Boukengers would ever hear of this.

A short while later Natsuki came back bearing a gray hoddie. "Here, Masumi. Natsuki wants you to be warm." She gave him the hoodie and let him put it on himself.

"Thanks, Natsuki," he said. As he was putting it on, he noticed Natsuki was leaving again.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To take a shower. I'll come back and check on you in a little while." And with that, Natsuki was off and he was alone again.

But not for long. A few minutes later, Souta entered the base. Masumi had been sniffing himself again, and he stopped just in time for his strange new habit to escape Souta's notice. "Hi, Masumi," Souta said.

"Hey," Masumi returned. "What are you doing here?"

"Just getting some water. Where's Natsuki?"

"She went to the showers."

"Oh." Souta sounded kind of disappointed. "I hope you feel better, Masumi." He chuckled lightly. "And so does Eiji."

Masumi's expression went dark. "Since when does he care about me?"

"Masumi," Souta said. "Eiji's been moping around the museum for days, because he's worried about you. He feels really bad about what he did, but he's not about to admit it."

Masumi sighed. "Eiji, that punk. He should be ashamed of himself. I wish he'd never done this."

Souta said, "To be fair, you could have said something to him sooner."

"So it's my fault?"

"Well, no. But it's possible that you're both at fault. You're right, though. He shouldn't have done what he did." Souta went over to the sink, drew himself some water and quickly drank it down. Then he left.

Masumi sighed again, this time to himself. He really did wish that none of this had ever happened. _If Eiji didn't have to be so self-righteous_, he thought, _I never would have gotten sick like this. I wouldn't have . . ._ Masumi's thoughts trailed off. _I never would have gotten to spend all this time with Natsuki._ Suddenly, Masumi saw a strange sense of purpose in all this.

Maybe . . . maybe now he could find the courage to tell Natsuki the truth. It seemed so simple when he thought of it that way, just telling her. Then again, even if telling her wouldn't be hard, he didn't know how she'd react. The aspect of the unknown terrified Masumi; it was because of the fear that he'd been able to keep it a secret for so long.

Just then, Natsuki came back into the main area of the base, her hair freshly washed and put into new pigtails.

"Hi, Masumi," she said in her cheerful-as-usual tone.

"Hey, Natsuki." Masumi sighed deeply.

"Masumi? Is something wrong?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm just tired. I'm going to try and sleep now."

"Okay. Sweet dreams, Masumi." And Natsuki left.

Masumi sighed again, then closed his eyes. He really was tired, and he figured that maybe some sleep would do him good.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, when the sun had set and the other Boukengers had retired for the night, Natsuki came back into the main area of the base to check on Masumi. He was still asleep, and Natsuki thought he looked very peaceful. She walked over to him and looked upon his sleeping face.

"Masumi," she said softly. He was so beautiful; what struck her was the way his silken waterfall of black hair fell over his delicate neck. Natsuki reached out and stroked Masumi's hair, but when she did, she saw a strange image in her mind. It was her and Masumi sitting on the beach, alone together. She retracted her hand, and the image disappeared. Natsuki couldn't understand where it had come from. She'd never been to the beach with Masumi, in fact, the thought had never occurred to her. _Does it have something to do with Masumi's thoughts_? she wondered. Natsuki lined up her fingers with Masumi's hairline and gently ran her fingers along his scalp. This time, she not only saw them on the beach, but she could hear the ocean. Natsuki closed her eyes and focused on the scene. The image became clearer, and soon she could hear Masumi's voice.

"_Natsuki," he said. "I've wandered the world searching. As a treasure hunter I searched for relics, but what I wanted to find was the light within myself . I've always fought the darkness in my heart, and what I sought couldn't be measured by a hazard lever, or safeguarded in a museum. But you, Natsuki . . ." he trailed off. "Your beauty emanates a light that shines into the darkened recesses of my hardened heart. You . . ." he said. "You are the rarest, most precious, beautiful treasure I've ever found. I just want you to know . . ." he took her hands and moved in closer. "The love I feel for you is the light that sustains me . . ." _

"Mamiya Natsuki." The last was spoken aloud, and the voice shattered the scene in Natsuki's mind. As she once more became aware of her surroundings in the physical world, she realized that Masumi was the one who had spoken. She retracted her hand from Masumi's head, and the light of the truth dawned upon her. What she'd seen, it was Masumi's dream.

In fact, he was still asleep, and from the looks of it, still dreaming. Natsuki was in total disbelief. It couldn't be . . . all that time . . .? She thought back to their life together, adventurers on the road, and all they had was each other. But then they became Boukengers, more people came into their lives, and . . . Everything made sense now. Why he'd been so wistful, so untrusting, so unwilling to share his feelings. He'd been afraid, but of what? At that moment, she felt the weight of it all. Her friend had been suffering in silence about his feelings for two whole years. She was so awed, but at the same time, she felt so sad that Masumi didn't have the heart to tell her _all this time._

Natsuki's eyes welled up with tears; she couldn't bear that someone she cared about so deeply had been in pain,_ was _in pain now, even, and she never knew. He'd loved her for as long as she could remember . . . She just wished there was something she could do for him . . .

At that moment, Masumi sat up and cried "Natsuki!" He was breathing heavily, and beaded in sweat. He then sank back into his makeshift bed, seeming disappointed.

"Masumi?" she said.

Masumi turned to her, startled. "Natsuki," he said. Even in the dim light, he could see that she was crying. "Natsuki? What's wrong?"

"Masumi," she said through her tears. "What is it that you want?"

"Wh-what? What are you talking about, Natsuki?" he asked.

She continued. "Ever since you rescued Natsuki, you've done everything for her. You trained her as an adventurer, you gave her everything she ever needed, and now Natsuki knows there's something you want. And whatever it is, Natsuki will do whatever it takes to get it for you. Please, Masumi, tell Natsuki."

Masumi looked into her eyes; her honest, pure, innocent, tear-filled brown eyes that pierced his soul. And at that moment, he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Natsuki . . . I . . ." he started, and Natsuki felt a surge of hope. He was finally going to tell her; he would finally be freed from his secret. But even as soon as he raised her hopes, she watched the light of his courage leave his eyes; his nerve failed him. "Well . . . why are you asking me this, Natsuki?"

He was afraid. She could see that he was afraid and wasn't going to tell her. She understood now. He was afraid of what she would think if he told her how he _really_ felt.

"Why?" she said, repeating his question back to him. "Because . . ." Natsuki's tears spilled over. "Because . . . Natsuki loves you!"

Masumi gazed in wonder at Natsuki, and at the last of what she'd said. She had spoken the words he had yearned to hear for so long, and at that moment, his beloved, young Lemurian princess looked more beautiful to him than ever before.

"Natsuki," he said, weary with relief of the weight of his long-kept secret gone. He made his way over to her, placed his hands on her face, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with her abounding light. Masumi placed upon her a kiss most gentle; it resounded with all the love he felt, and all the longing stored within him.

After a few minutes, he pulled back and looked into her eyes one more time. She looked up at him, overjoyed at the relief she'd brought him. The two then shared a loving embrace.

Masumi buried his face in her neck, and breathed in her sweet scent again. "Natsuki," he said, and tears of his own filled his eyes. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?"

Natsuki nodded. "It's been too long."


	6. Chapter 6

**Epilogue.**

A few days later, Masumi was sitting at the table while Natsuki was cooking something for him. Masumi sighed as he reflected on the last few days. As much as he didn't miss being sick, he felt wistful, sad, even, that this was the end of him and Natsuki spending entire days alone in the base together. Tomorrow, it was back to work, back to giving tours in the museum and periodically retrieving another precious. _At least we have today_, he thought.

Natsuki presented Masumi with a steaming bowl of ramen. "Here you go, Masumi," she said cheerfully. She was happy to see Masumi felling better, not just from having recovered from his wasting illness, but from not having to carry the burden of his secret anymore.

Masumi smiled at his new girlfriend. "Thanks, Natsuki. Itadakimasu!" Masumi raised his chopsticks over the bowl, poised to take a bite. But before he could, the elevator arrived on their floor and all of the other Boukengers came out. Masumi set down his chopsticks and sighed. Already he and Natsuki's time alone together was ending.

A collective chorus of "Hi, Masumi! Hi, Nasuki!" came from the other Boukengers. Sakura was holding a small basket with a yellow ribbon on it.

"What's in the basket?" Natsuki asked.

Akashi stepped forward. "The basket is for you, from all of us. It's a reward for taking such good care of Masumi."

Masumi rolled his eyes.

Natsuki brightened at the mention of a present. She took the basket, untied the yellow ribbon, and squealed when she saw what it contained. "Candy!" she exclaimed. "Thank you!" Natsuki hugged Akashi, then immediately began eating the candy.

Souta went over to Masumi. "You didn't miss much, Masumi. It was a rough week in the museum, right Chief?"

Akashi turned away and his face reddened. "I suppose one could say that."

Masumi, of course, was intrigued. "What happened?" he asked excitedly.

Akashi sighed at the unpleasant memories from that week. "There was an overweight foreign exchange student who wouldn't leave me alone. She kept making goo-goo eyes at me and trying to hold my hand." He shuddered. "I don't even think she spoke Japanese."

Souta chuckled. "Chief, I don't even think she was a girl."

All of the Boukengers laughed, while Akashi looked more and more embarrassed. "Guys, it's not that funny . . . Masumi, you are laughing too much! Even you, Sakura! Everyone, stop laughing!" The other Boukengers, needless to say, didn't listen. Akashi let out a deflating sigh, sounding not at all unlike a punctured weather balloon.

Eventually the laughter subsided entirely apart from Akashi's cries for mercy; everyone had gotten sick of laughing at him. After a minute, Eiji stepped forward, bearing a serious expression.

"Hey, Masumi," he said.

Masumi eyed the dazzling adventure suspiciously. What did _he_ want?

Eiji continued. "You know, what I did before . . ." he trailed off. The rest came out in a rush. "Well, maybe I shouldn't have messed with your food." He had addressed the floor, but now looked up at the black ranger.

"It's true. What you did was lame," Masumi said. "But . . . to be fair, you didn't have all the information. I guess that's how we learn." He looked at Natsuki meaningfully, and Natuski smiled brightly back at him.

_Hmm_? Eiji looked suspiciously between Masumi and Natsuki. He wondered what had gone on between them in the base that week. It was almost as if . . . No, it couldn't be, he told himself. Still, it was strange to see Masumi in such a forgiving mood. He decided to take advantage.

"Well, that's true," he said. "After all, how was I supposed to know? You know, the Takokas have never had any food allergies."

Masumi's eyes narrowed. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked sharply.

Akashi rolled his eyes. "Guys," he said. "I thought you two had learned to agree by now."

"We learned to agree about one thing," Eiji said.

"Yeah. Neither of us is ever gonna eat Froot Loops again." Masumi smiled at Natsuki knowingly, who returned his sentiments with a guilty look.

"Amen," Eiji said. "Man, am I starving!" He went over to the fridge and started rummaging.

"Eiji, there isn't much in there because nobody has done any shopping this week." Souta said. "That was Natsuki's chore everybody knows why she couldn't accomplish it." He shot a teasing look at Eiji, but he never saw it. He had picked up a bottle of milk and was chugging like tomorrow wasn't coming.

"Nothing like a little soy milk to recharge the impervious Takoka immune system." He said.

"Eiji NO!" Sakura suddenly shouted, looking like she had witnessed the most horrible grievance.

"What's wrong?" Eiji asked, "Is it old or something?"

"Eiji that wasn't soy milk! That was my imported cow milk! I was gonna use that to make home made ice cream!" The usually serious, no-nonsense Sakura stamped her foot at the injustice.

Everyone stared at Sakura, surprised at her sudden lapse in character.

"Cows' milk- . . . oh . . ." Eiji said at the grim realization. He stared at the floor gravely, and his skin took on a sick, greenish color.

"Ei-chan? Are you okay?" Natsuki asked.

Eiji looked up, his expression one of a pained sense of purpose. "No, I just . . . uh, I'm gonna go . . ." he stammered. Eiji then dashed to the bathroom, and the pained cries of his lactose-burderned intestins made it to the rest of the Boukengers in the main room.

Souta and Akashi exchanged worried glances. Sakura's expression was one of it-serves-him-right. Only Masumi spoke upon the situation.

"Poor Eiji," he said. A slow, satisfied smile spread across the speed adventurer's face.

The others, no doubt, attributed his smile to Eiji's ironic perdiciment, but Natsuki knew the truth. Under the table, where no one else could see, the two adventurers were hand in hand; their fingers entwined. Mabye someday they'd tell the others, but for now, they were all each other needed.

** THE END.**


End file.
